Las Vegas Shooting Suspect Jerad Miller Threatened Violence in Interview at the Bundy Ranch
Footage shot by a Las Vegas TV news reporter covering the between federal authorities and Cliven Bundy and his supporters in mid-April shows Jerad Miller 鈥 the Indiana man who with his wife, Amanda, shot and killed two police officers and a bystander on Sunday in North Las Vegas 鈥 threatening violence against government officials.
After telling the reporter for KRNV-TV that 鈥淢inutemen鈥 were supposedly ringing the scene of the standoff, he said: 鈥淪o, you know, I feel sorry for any federal agents that want to come in here and try to push us around, or anything like that. I really don鈥檛 want violence toward them, but if they鈥檙e gonna come bring violence to us, well, if that鈥檚 the language they want to speak, we鈥檒l learn it.鈥
The reporter was shocked: 鈥淲ell, that sounds kind of like a menacing statement, I have to tell you,鈥 she said.
Miller responded: 鈥淵ou know, the people here, that have come here to support Bundy, we鈥檙e not afraid,鈥 he said. 鈥淵ou know, we know that in the past the government has used force against civilians, like Waco, Ruby Ridge. Alright, we鈥檙e not afraid of that.鈥
Miller was filmed wearing camouflage gear and a T-shirt promoting Brandon Martines, a conservative candidate for Clark County Sheriff. Martines recently told that Jerad and Amanda Miller had shown up at his campaign events and had offered to work on the campaign, but that when he had checked their background he discovered that Jerad Miller had an extensive criminal history, including DUI, assault, theft and mischief charges. Martines told them, 鈥淟ook, I appreciate your support but I can鈥檛 be associated in any way, shape or form with you.鈥
鈥淭hey were just trying to infiltrate,鈥 Martines said. 鈥淭hey obviously had an agenda.鈥
At the Bundy ranch, Miller indulged in the paranoid fantasy-based strategizing that was typical of the 鈥淧atriots鈥 on the scene there, who at one point began turning on each other over fears that a federal drone attack was about to strike the camp.
In the KRNV interview, Miller touted the upcoming 鈥淥peration American Spring鈥 鈥 the planned 鈥淧atriot鈥 march on Washington, D.C., that was supposed to draw millions of people out to demand President Obama鈥檚 resignation but only managed to draw dozens 鈥 as a possible counterweight to any assault on the 鈥淧atriot鈥 encampment and the Bundys.
鈥淏ut with American Spring coming up, you know, a lot of their resources are in D.C.,鈥 he told the reporter. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 send the ATF and the FBI out here in full force. You know, and we know that.鈥
He also made clear that he, like many of the Bundy supporters, was deriving much of his inspiration from web-based conspiracist outlets. When asked to ruminate on the upside of the in the standoff, he said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to show a lot of people that the federal government isn鈥檛 Almighty God. You know, they can鈥檛 just go around pushing people around doing whatever they want anymore. We have the Internet, we have alternative media 鈥 you know, we, we pick up on things faster, we can get around, we can support each other.鈥
He also mentioned that friends whom he described as being even more prone to violence nearly came out to Nevada to join him: 鈥淚 know personally a couple people that wanted to come out here, um, and join up, but they were afraid they might get a little trigger-happy, you know, and wouldn鈥檛 wait for them to fire the first shot,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o they were advised to stay home, we only need cool-headed people here that aren鈥檛 going to antagonize them, you know, and 鈥 pretty much make it to look like we fired the first shot, or had anything involved in any of that kind of thinking.鈥
Indeed, Miller insisted that he and his fellow 鈥淧atriots鈥 were not going to take the initial steps to violence:
So we鈥檙e not instigating anything. We are here in response to their criminal activity, as we see it. Sure, they have 鈥渢he law鈥 [air quotes] on their side. But is it constitutional law? That鈥檚 the issue.
Now, another big issue is our definition of constitutionality differs from theirs. You know, we are a little more strict on following the Constitution in their opinion. But I am pretty sure if our founders were alive today, they would be rolling over in their graves, or picking up a gun and doing what we鈥檙e doing.
More likely, they would be rolling in their graves at the thought of having a man like Jerad Miller claim their names for inspiration.
Full transcript below:
MILLER: Hopefully, people will see that there鈥檚 people out there willing to put their lives on the line, or just their, you know, physical bodies out there and put them in front of the tasers, be beaten, and help stand up for people, you know. Because, if this stuff was happening to me, I鈥檇 want people to be there for me, you know. So I can鈥檛 expect that out of people if I鈥檓 not going to be willing to come out and support somebody else in their time of need.
REPORTER: Well, tell us though 鈥 it鈥檚 got to be a good feeling that this weekend, if you want to call it a victory 鈥 I mean, certainly the BLM blinked.
MILLER: I mean, we can鈥檛 feel good about something like that because we shouldn鈥檛 have to be out here in the first place. Sure, um, you know, it give us a lot more hope. It鈥檚 going to show a lot of people that the federal government isn鈥檛 Almighty God. You know, they can鈥檛 just go around pushing people around doing whatever they want anymore. We have the Internet, we have alternative media 鈥 you know, we, we pick up on things faster, we can get around, we can support each other.
And that鈥檚 the real important thing. We need to be backing each other up and we stand for our rights and our liberties, because we鈥檙e losing them at an alarming rate. And 鈥
REPORTER: It was getting pretty tense. It seemed that there was definitely a 鈥 fear that it was gonna become violent.
MILLER: You know, the people here, um, that have come here to support Bundy, we鈥檙e not afraid. You know, we know that in the past the government has used force against civilians, like Waco, Ruby Ridge. Alright, we鈥檙e not afraid of that.
REPORTER: Well, this was the fear that it was gonna become another situation like that 鈥 until the government backed down.
MILLER: Yeah, but this is an entirely different situation than Ruby Ridge and Waco. They didn鈥檛 have the Internet back then, you know. Cliven Bundy has been involved for over twenty years dealing with these people. This isn鈥檛 something new. It鈥檚 just it鈥檚 escalated to this point, you know.
So, it鈥檚 not that Cliven Bundy escalated it to this point. It鈥檚 the federal government. They came down here and started abusing protesters and stuff. Sure they might have been getting in the way of a truck, but they were just curious about what was going on up there, because it is illegal to bury cattle out there in the desert, and they were breaking the law. You know, they had backhoes, dump trucks 鈥 why do you need that stuff if you鈥檙e rounding up cattle? I can understand helicopters, but as far as the heavy machinery? That was totally uncalled for. So they were just wanting to know what was going on.
REPORTER: Does this change your strategy going forward, that there has been 鈥 you know, put one in your corner, in your tally.
MILLER: Well, we don鈥檛 see it like that. OK? We know they鈥檙e just falling back to regroup. They鈥檒l be back. This isn鈥檛 over. Um, the BLM is just right down the road. They didn鈥檛 leave.
But with American Spring coming up, you know, a lot of their resources are in D.C. They can鈥檛 send the ATF and the FBI out here in full force. You know, and we know that 鈥
REPORTER: You don鈥檛 think that federal government can鈥檛 mobilize at a moment鈥檚 notice if they want to? Come on.
MILLER: Not without people getting a little, I mean, suspicious of what they鈥檙e doing. The more they bring out here, the more will come. Plain and simple.
You know 鈥 this week, you know, people can鈥檛 just take off work right away. People can plan for vacations and things like that. If they come back, and there鈥檚 a standoff for a couple weeks, people will make it down here.
You know, people are just 鈥 a lot of people are just waiting to see what would happen. I know personally a couple people that wanted to come out here, um, and join up, but they were afraid they might get a little trigger-happy, you know, and wouldn鈥檛 wait for them to fire the first shot. So they were advised to stay home, we only need cool-headed people here that aren鈥檛 going to antagonize them, you know, and 鈥 pretty much make it to look like we fired the first shot, or had anything involved in any of that kind of thinking.
The armed people here are just here to keep the peace. You know, certainly, we did have yesterday morning like a little armed confrontation with them. But yet the sheriff was there one our side 鈥 which he shoulda been here, you know, Day One. Telling them to get out 鈥 they have no right to this land. The Constitution only allows the federal government to own land for military bases, shipyards, arsenals, capital buildings and emergency shelters. I don鈥檛 see any of that out here. So are they literally declaring 鈥
REPORTER: But the sheriff said he cannot supersede the federal government.
MILLER: Ah, that鈥檚 not what the Constitution says.
[Break]
MILLER: Ah, there鈥檚 a lot of these guys that are self-set. And they鈥檙e really dedicated to freedom, that鈥檚 all they do, is they train, they go out, you know, and they protect our borders and things. Like that Minutemen are coming 鈥 and we鈥檙e just gonna be, uh 鈥 They鈥檙e out here. They鈥檙e out here right now. You don鈥檛 see 鈥榚m. You know 鈥 that鈥檚 what they do.
So, you know, I feel sorry for any federal agents that want to come in here and try to push us around, or anything like that. I really don鈥檛 want violence toward them, but if they鈥檙e gonna come bring violence to us, well, if that鈥檚 the language they want to speak, we鈥檒l learn it.
REPORTER: Well, that sounds kind of like a menacing statement, I have to tell you.
MILLER: Well, I mean, you hear this kind of rhetoric from the government all the time. We鈥檒l put down citizens, we鈥檒l put down protesters, we鈥檒l beat you up, we鈥檒l gas you, we鈥檒l shoot you with rubber bullets. I mean, heck, down in New Mexico they shot and killed a homeless man out in the desert. You know. They shot and killed this man. Sicced a dog on him while he was laying there dying. And they caught this all on video.
REPORTER: On this issue, you鈥檙e saying you guys aren鈥檛 going away.
MILLER: No, we鈥檙e not going away, but we鈥檙e not firing the first shots, either. We will defend ourselves, if it has to come to that. But we鈥檙e hoping that, you know, our show of force yesterday is enough to get them to go, 鈥楬ey, this is a sensitive subject, this is a sensitive area, perhaps we should leave it alone.鈥
Because any further involvement with the federal government is just going to be seen as instigating. Alright, if they come back here 鈥 鈥榗ause the only reason we showed up here is 鈥榗ause they were here doing what they were doing. It鈥檚 not like we came here to get their attention and they came. No, they came here and got our attention, and we came. So it鈥檚 what they鈥檙e doing is what鈥檚 bringing us here.
So we鈥檙e not instigating anything. We are here in response to their criminal activity, as we see it. Sure, they have 鈥渢he law鈥 [air quotes] on their side. But is it constitutional law? That鈥檚 the issue.
Now, another big issue is our definition of constitutionality differs from theirs. You know, we are a little more strict on following the Constitution in their opinion. But I am pretty sure if our founders were alive today, they would be rolling over in their graves, or picking up a gun and doing what we鈥檙e doing.
[END]
